The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1887-01-29

New Jersey Historical Society.
Post omce

| The New Jersey Historical Society
whose regular January meeting occurred
yesterday at Trenton, has in its AZ years
of existence s'discovered, procured and
preserved" most rare and valuable col
lection of historic material, and has by its
skill and energy placed itself up among
the very first societies of the kind in our
country And its exchanges and opinions
are honored everywhere. not only in the
United States but across the water.
| Upon this society and that of the
Washington Association" our State has
good and sufficient reason to place high
value, for they both aid vastly in the edu-
cation of all classes to more thorough
understanding and more rightful apprcci-
alton Of the noble traits of our heroic an
cestors.
AT the society meeting at Trenton on
the 25th, held in the Board of Trade
Room, Prof. Austin Scott, Phi. D., Of Rut-
gers College. read an interesting and val
liable paper on "The Earliest Cities Of
New jersey" such as Perth Amboy, Eiiz-
abeth, Burlington, 7 tentoa and New
Brunswick, which had city organizations
after English models and securing such
rights as were guaranteed to English sub
| iects. The charters being individual in
character having legislative and judicial
powers united The Mayor was appoint
ed by the Governor and the Treasurer
chosen by the people.
Perth Amboy was granted u charter
because she chad place for shipping. "
New Brunswick on account of her river
highway; Elizabeth as centre of stinau-
ence and good order" and Trenton on ac-
count of her transportation facilities by
water, and the fruitful country" adjacent.
OF course in a notice so brief as this a
great deal of important detail must be
omitted, but the able manner in which
Prof. Scott brought out the peculiarly
strong points of vantage of the muuicipa
roym of government, and that too in it /
very infancy here, over that of the toun
goveynment so laudcd in New England,
made the address one of marked interest
and suggestiveness.
New jersey was the mother of cities on
this continent" and here where land, from
nearness to sea and markets, is more val
liable than in any State, showed in that
short space OF time (before 1860 the great
est developments of cities ever known.
Jersey laid well her plans, aud those
embryo types OF municipal government
are of great value to us today while mil
lions continue to leave the fields and herd
in the cities, and our law makers strive
to readjust and harmonic our already
unwcildy municipal machinery.
"The City," continued the lecturer
"more than the Town form government
possesses stability and Il permanency OF
character as a system which nothing can
surpass, and here by the shores Of the
Atlantic, Jersey commercial that rich
Egirdle o.. cities which have so welded oul
country to prosperity unexampled il
the history OF the WOflu.
Although have given but a mere out
line Of this valuable paper, it is enough
Ito show Your readers somewhat of TIN
character Of the work our unseltish ant
scholarly members Of the Historical So
ciety are doing in our midst.
& Oar building in Newark is no fit caske
for such literary jewels as are therein
contained, and we must have new fir
lproof building. so reported the Executiv
Committee, and for one have no doubt
but that when the funds for the same ar
needed there will be friends ready tosup
ply them.
The absence of our worthy President
DR.. Hamill Of Lawrenceville, whose hom
had been so lately destroyed by fire, wa
regretted.
III the neurological record read by tn
Corresponding Secretary and in part pre-
! pared by DR.. Pennington, appear tt
names OF such distinguished and believes
members as Joseph n. futile, DR.. job
. McClain, Dir. A. A. Hodge, Hon. G
Akcrson, ]. G. Pinneo, and others.
Truly, if we have no castles or ruin
about which TO weave legends and 70
7 nance, we none the less have past full
to overlooking with human pathos AM
resounding with examples Of heroi
: achievement. and we as a people mus
{ soc to IT fhaf every valuable record o
this by gone time is treasured as priceless
heirloonls for those who are to follos
after u. j. G. p.
Morristown, N. j., Jan. IS, 1887.